Bike Friday Walter

18012009

I finally meet Walter in person at Bike Friday HQ

On our way home from Baja Kurt & I decided to stick to the west coast [I’m totally sick of I-15!!!] and stop in for a visit at Bike Friday HQ. Seeing the Tikit and custom travel bike production lines was really interesting as was finally getting to meet Walter Lapchynski who has been my main man as far as taking care of my Tikit needs the last few months. He is a passionate cyclist and all around great guy – check out his blog here.

Since you can tell a lot about a person by the bike they ride I thought I’d give you a little tour of Walter’s Tikit. His bike sports drop bars as well as multiple lights and a coffee cup holder – hallmarks of the commuting cyclist!

His Tikit is the knob activated variety [not the cable activated hyperfold like mine] and he is running the new version of the 2 pannier front rack. This is a bit different than the prototype I have, but it provides better clearance when the bike folds for the smaller sized Tikit frames.

Here is a top view of the 2 pannier rack. Note how the panniers are angled in a bit.

Walter’s Tikit is a fixed gear and was the first to sport the fixed/IGH dropouts that are now used on bikes like the Seasons Tikit. He uses Power Grips so he can stay connected to the pedals in street shoes. You’ll note he is using a Standard Tikit Rear Rack and he indicated the Tikit Touring Rack that will carry two full sized panniers would be available in a few months – I’ll take the first one!

A view of Walter’s fixed gear drivetrain from the rear of the bike. I love the clean lines on a fixed gear or IGH bike…=-) You can tell that Walter commutes rain or shine!

It’s still going to be a few months, but I’m hopeful to have something once the riding season starts here in Canada.

21012009

adam(02:24:32) :

My tikit is a thing of beauty except for that horrible fugly red carry strap/handle. I didn’t get the cover; I don’t need it. I do use the handle all the time, though, on stairs. I’ve mentioned to bf that I would buy a black handle if they sold one, but it didn’t seem like a really high priority to them. If a craftsy mood strikes, maybe I’ll dye it myself. Anyway, this bike seems to have a 2-tone black/red handle. Any idea if this is indicative of new handle options? Maybe I’m the only tikit owner shallow enough to care about this…

[…] Spread the word. Be on the lookout. Speaking of friends, I am most grateful to Vik Banerjee whose wonderful pictures of my bike show it in nearly its exact present form. The only differences are the lack of the Power Grips and rear light (fell off) and the addition […]